1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relates to a method, medium and apparatus for acquiring a multi-channel sound from a sound acquisition device having a microphone array, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for acquiring a multi-channel sound, such as 5.1 channel audio enabling users to feel a stereoscopic effect, from a plurality of mixed sound source signals which are input via a microphone array.
2. Description of the Related Art
A technology for recording and reproducing an audio signal has been developed from a mono-channel signal via a stereo-channel signal to a multi-channel signal. Such development is a result of users' desire to experience a more vivid and stereoscopic sound. In particular, the multi-channel signal enables a user to listen to a multi-directional audio signal from a plurality of sources, thereby providing an enhanced stereoscopic effect, compared to the mono-channel signal or the stereo-channel signal.
In order to listen to a multi-channel sound, a multi-channel audio source is required. In general, the multi-channel audio source is acquired by using one of two methods described below. The first method is to independently record a sound source for each of channels as many as required. This first method is commonly used in the production of movies or records. Hereinafter, the sound source is a term which represents a source from which sound is emitted. The second method is to position a microphone system, which is specially designed so as to simultaneously record a multi-channel audio source, according to a direction of each channel, and to record sound emitted from the corresponding direction.
As described above, in order to acquire the multi-channel sound, there are many limitations such as time, space, special recording equipment requirements, and the like. Thus, it is undesirable to apply the aforementioned multi-channel sound acquisition methods to small portable devices such as a mobile phone or a digital camcorder, which can acquire sound.